What's New!
VegDRI expands coverage over the Western U.S. more..
Evaluation and Outreach sections added
VegDRI presented in Montana and Texas. more..
The 2006-2007 Archive is currently being updated. New dates will be added as they become available.
The National Drought Mitigation Center produces VegDRI in collaboration with the US Geological Survey's (USGS) Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS), and the High Plains Regional Climate Center (HPRCC), with sponsorship from the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA). Main researchers working on VegDRI are Dr. Brian Wardlow and Dr. Tsegaye Tadesse at the NDMC, and Jesslyn Brown with the USGS, and Dr. Yingxin Gu with ASRC Research and Technology Solutions, contractor for the USGS at EROS.
VegDRI maps are produced every two weeks and provide regional to sub-county scale information of drought's effects on vegetation. In 2006, VegDRI covered seven states in the Northern Great Plains (CO, KS, MT, NE, ND, SD, and WY), and has expanded across 8 additional states in 2007 that cover the remainder of the Great Plains (NM, OK, MO, and TX) and parts of the Upper Midwest (IA, IL, MN, and WI). The coverage of VegDRI will expand across the western U.S. in 2008 (WA, ID, OR, UT, CA, AZ, NV). The coverage of VegDRI will include the remainder of the conterminous U.S. in 2009.
The VegDRI calculations integrate satellite-based observations of vegetation conditions, climate data, and other biophysical information such as land cover/land use type, soil characteristics, and ecological setting. The VegDRI maps that are produced deliver continuous geographic coverage over large areas, and have inherently finer spatial detail (1-km2 resolution) than other commonly available drought indicators such as the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Key features and changes in the VegDRI map for August 25, 2008. For evaluators in these areas, any additional information or observations you can provide would be most helpful.
Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah
Drought conditions intensified over most parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.
Minnesota
Severe to moderate drought conditions that were observed in the past few weeks have slightly intensified.
Nevada
Moderate to severe drought conditions have intensified over most parts of Nevada.
Wisconsin
Pre-drought to moderate drought conditions have persisted over northern half of Wisconsin.
High Plains Region
Moderate to severe drought conditions have expanded to western Colorado. Theses drought conditions have also persisted over central and eastern Colorado, eastern South Dakota, western parts of Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. As compared to the last few weeks, the drought conditions intensified over eastern Nebraska and northeastern Kansas.
Pacific Northwest Coast (Oregon and Washington)
Pre-drought and moderate drought conditions continue to appear over the coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest (far western Oregon and Washington). We have no ground observations to confirm or refute these conditions and are looking for local input.
Texas
The drought condition over southern and eastern Texas has improved. However, severe to extreme drought conditions have persisted over western and central Texas.
Oregon
Moderate to severe drought conditions have persisted over most parts of Oregon including central, southern and southeastern Oregon.